Amada Temple: Discovering Nubia’s Oldest Preserved Monument

The Temple of Amada is the oldest in Nubia. It is located about 180 kilometers south of the High Dam at the site of New Amada, an archaeological complex containing three ancient Nubian monuments spared from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. The temple was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as part of the monuments of Nubia from Abu Simbel to Philae.

Amada temple is a small sandstone temple built during the co-regency of Thutmose III (r. 1458-1425 BCE) and Amenhotep II (1427-1401 BCE), with later additions by Thutmose IV (r. c. 1401–1391 BCE) and restorations by several kings of the Nineteenth Dynasty (1292-1189 BCE). The temple is dedicated to Amun and Re-Horakhty. Although the temple is quite small and has a crumbling exterior, its interior features some of the most finely cut reliefs with bright and vibrant colors. It contains two important historical inscriptions. The first of these is on a stele at the left side of the entrance. It describes the unsuccessful Libyan invasion of Egypt (1209 BC) during Pharaoh Merenptah’s reign. A second stele on the back wall of the sanctuary describes Amenhotep II’s military campaign (1424 BC) in Palestine. Both were no doubt designed to impress upon the Nubians that political opposition to the powerful Egyptians was useless.

Also, like many other Nubian temples, the early Christians made the structure a church capped by a cupola, and in the process, contributed their damage. On the other hand, when these same Christians plastered over many of the reliefs, they preserved many of them, making these depictions some of the finest remaining in any Nubian temple.

The Relocation of the Amada Temple in Nubia

Due to the project of building the Aswan Dam, between 1964 and 1975, the temple was moved from its original location to a new site “some 65 m higher and 2.5 km away from its original site”, thus preventing it from being flooded by the waters of the Nasser. Chopping it into blocks, like the other temples, was not an option; the paintings would not have survived. For historians, Amada seemed doomed to a watery burial. Fortunately, France and a team of architects came up with an ingenious way to move the entire temple in one piece. This involved placing the temple on rails and then using a hydraulic system to move it to higher ground a few kilometers away. Coincidentally, the amazing rock-cut Temple of Derr was moved to the same location as well.

While these two temples are nothing compared to some of the other ancient attractions in Egypt, they are certainly worth a visit if you are in the area, and particularly if you’re considering a Lake Nasser cruise.

Also: book your tour now to learn more about the Amada temple and the history of Egypt from Here